BRIDGEPORT -- The Diocese of Bridgeport will close two of the city's six Catholic elementary schools at the end of the school year and reorganize two other schools into a primary and middle school in the fall.

St. Ambrose School on Mill Hill Avenue and St. Peter School on Beechwood Avenue are both closing, Diocese officials said Thursday.

The schools have a combined enrollment of about 360 students, said Brian Wallace, a spokesman for the diocese. The news, which surprised many parents picking up their children on Thursday, came two weeks after the Archdiocese of New York announced it would close 22 elementary schools serving 4,341 students.

"I had no idea -- I love this school!" said Chantale Suvernay, a parent of a St. Peter first-grader. Suvernay said the teachers are great and the school is conveniently close to home.

Sergio Rosado, who has a second-grader at the school, said he was "upset."

"No one said anything to me," he said. Rosado said he was hoping to send his other daughter to the school as well, but those hopes are now dashed.

In the fall under the diocese plan, St. Raphael, on Frank Street, will become a Pre-K through third grade school and St. Augustine, on Pequonnock Street, will turn into a 4-8 grade school. Both St. Ann in Black Rock and St. Andrew in the city's North End will remain Pre-K through eighth grade schools, as they are now.

Across the country, the Catholic church has closed dozens of churches and schools in the past few years as enrollment and monetary contributions dwindle. Sixteen months ago, the Bridgeport Diocese closed three of its 16 Roman Catholic churches, including St. Ambrose Church.

The six schools together that are part of what is called the Bridgeport Cathedral Cluster, and they have about 1,200 students, said Wallace.

No other schools in the diocese -- which spans Fairfield County -- are closing, Wallace said. When St. Ambrose and St. Peter are finally shuttered, there will be 36 schools in the diocese.

Margaret Dames, superintendent of the diocesan schools, said the decision was tough.

"These were both terrific little schools," she said. "But we had to decide: are we going to invest in buildings or are we going to invest in children?"

St Ambrose School opened in 1951; St. Peter School opened in 1950. Both were in need of repair.

"This is a plan going forward that will enhance and sustain Catholic education for Bridgeport students of all faiths who wish to attend a Catholic school," said James L. Bailey, chairman of the advisory board for the Bridgeport parochial schools.

Wallace said the announcement was made at this time because enrollment drives for the 2013-14 school year have started and the Diocese wanted to give parents a chance to plan. Students in the affected schools will have first priority to register in what will be called the Cathedral Academy, which will be headed by Jo-Ann Jakab, principal of Kolbe Cathedral High School.

Notices reportedly went home to parents on Thursday, but parents picking up students from St. Peter's after-school program on Thursday were caught off guard.

"Why?" asked one mother, who wouldn't give her name. "I am shocked. And a little angry. I don't know what to say. Nobody told me. Of course I like this school."

Under the new structure, students in the New Catholic Academies of Bridgeport will have multiple classes of each grade allowing for a stronger curriculum, said Sister Joan Magnetti, executive director of the Cathedral Cluster schools. Combining resources will make it possible for the academy to offer counseling, bilingual services and a family center.

"The new plan will allow Catholic education to grow," Magnetti said.

"We want [Catholic education ] to be here forever, and that's why we're taking these steps now to make sure we will have a home for all of our students as we continue to grow." Bailey said.

Dames said aligning the schools with Kolbe will give the middle school students at St. Augustine, located on the same campus, access to advanced math and science courses and other programs.

"We really hope to make this a place where students and families will want to come," said Wallace.

Wallace said St. Ann and St. Andrew were not part of the plan because both are fully subscribed and do not have the same financial challenges as the other schools.

About 60 percent of Bridgeport students enrolled in diocesan schools received some financial assistance this year, up from 48 percent in 2011.

Diocesan officials said they began a review of the maintenance and renovation needs for the existing facilities and enrollment trends last year. Wallace said he was uncertain what would happen to the closed schools. St. Ambrose is attached to the closed St. Ambrose church and is close to Bridgeport Hospital and Harding High School.

St. Peter is in a residential neighborhood and is in the hands of its parish.

Dames said no decisions will be made on the properties until the diocese gets a new bishop.

A website for Cathedral Academy --www.cathedralacademybridgeport.org -- has been launched and will be updated frequently to provide important information and address questions.

Parents can also email info@cathedralacademybridgeport.org or call the school where their child is currently enrolled.